Officials in northern Iraq say Turkish military aircraft have dropped bombs in the region, a week after Ankara conducted a major offensive against Kurdish PKK rebels in the area.

Turkey's top military commander says Ankara's decision to withdraw its troops from northern Iraq was not due to any pressure from the United States.

The Turkish military says all its troops have withdrawn from northern Iraq after a week-long assault on Kurdish rebels. Ankara accuses the rebels of using Iraq as a base to launch attacks against Turkish forces. But in the last few days international pressure, especially from the United States, has been increasing on Turkey to end the operation. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

President Bush is calling for Turkey to end its military operation against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq as soon as possible. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports Mr. Bush talked about the Turkish offensive during a nationally broadcast White House news conference.

Turkey has come under renewed pressure to end its incursion into northern Iraq against a Kurdish rebel group. U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates visited Ankara and reiterated Washington's call to end the operation, which Turkey says has killed more than 230 rebels in the past week. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

Turkish fighter jets and artillery continue to pound northern Iraq Monday as Turkish troops battle Kurdish rebels in the mountainous border region.

Turkish military officials say five soldiers and at least 44 Kurdish rebels have been killed since a Turkish ground offensive into northern Iraq began late Thursday. Ankara accuses Kurdish Workers Party separatists of using bases in Iraq to launch attacks against government troops in Turkey. Dorian Jones has details from Istanbul.

Turkish ground troops have entered northern Iraq in a drive against Kurdish separatists of the Kurdish Workers Party which Ankara accuses of using bases in Iraq to launch attacks against its forces in southeastern Turkey. Although Kurdish rebels say two Turkish troops have been killed in the fighting and another eight have been wounded, Turkey has not commented on those reports. Dorian Jones has more for the VOA from Istanbul.

The United States Friday called on Turkey to limit the scope of its ground incursion in northern Iraq and bring it to an early conclusion. The operation is apparently the biggest of several recent Turkish military strikes against Kurdish PKK rebels. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

Iraqi authorities say the police chief of the northern city of Mosul has been killed in a suicide bomb attack as he was touring the site of Wednesday's massive explosion that killed at least 18 people.

Turkish warplanes have again bombed alleged Kurdish guerrilla positions in northern Iraq.

The Turkish army is to launch a cross-border operation against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq before 'weather conditions worsen,' local media quoted the Turkish president as saying on Wednesday.